There are cases in which breast examinations, diagnoses, etc. are performed using both radiographic imaging and ultrasound imaging. When performing radiographic imaging of a breast using an ordinary mammography machine, the breast of an examinee is placed in a pressed state using a press plate. However, when performing ultrasound imaging of a breast using an ordinary ultrasound imaging device, imaging is performed by an operator moving an ultrasound probe over the surface of the breast of an examinee. It is sometimes difficult, for example, to observe the site of interest when comparing both images due to differences in the pressed state of the breast of an examinee, and the imaging state etc. between when performing radiographic imaging and when performing ultrasound imaging. There is accordingly a desire for a medical imaging device capable of performing both radiographic imaging and ultrasound imaging, and, for example, technology is described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open (JP-A) Nos. 2009-082399 and 2005-270677.
In the technology described in JP-A Nos. 2009-082399 and 2005-270677, an ultrasound image and a radiographic image are acquired in which the pressed state of the breast of an examinee, and the imaging state, etc. have been made the same, by performing radiographic imaging and ultrasound imaging in a pressed state of the breast of a single examinee using a single medical imaging device. This facilitates observation of the site of interest and so on in a comparison of the radiographic image and the ultrasound image of the same breast.
Generally, when performing ultrasound imaging, in order to reduced non-uniformity in the impedance of ultrasound waves, an acoustic matching member is inserted between the ultrasound probe and the breast. When performing radiographic imaging in a state in which an acoustic matching member has been inserted, radiation that has passed through the acoustic matching member is incident to the breast. Thus, for example, the characteristics of the radiation incident to the breast is sometimes different to that of radiation incident to the breast without passing through the acoustic matching member.